How to fill out the Form 48-9901 in Arizona
A field-by-field walkthrough of the Arizona Form 48-9901 (Lien Release) for licensed used car dealers — what goes in every section, who signs what, and the documents you attach. Verified against the official form, ADOT MVD's vehicle services FAQ, and A.R.S. 28-2134 as of October 2026.
Don't waste another second filling out the Arizona Form 48-9901.
The Form 48-9901 itself is filled by hand, but DealerVLO fills the official Arizona Form 96-0236 title application, the Bill of Sale, and the FTC Buyers Guide for you instantly.
Filing these every week? DealerVLO fills the official Arizona Form 96-0236 title application and the rest of the deal paperwork from the deal you already entered, $29/month flat. See pricing
Switching from another DMS? Compare DealerVLO to DealerCenter, Frazer, or Lot Wizard.
Filling out the AZ Form 48-9901 after a sale:
- What it is
- ADOT MVD's one-page form where the lienholder certifies a vehicle lien is paid in full and released
- Who completes it
- The lienholder. On a BHPH note that's your dealership, signed by a representative
- Where to file it
- You give it to the owner, who submits it with a title application and the current title at MVD or an authorized third party
- Processing time
- ADOT says an owner can request a hearing if the lien isn't released within 15 business days of payoff
- Cost
- No fee for the release. ADOT's FAQ lists a $4 title fee for the owner's new title
This guide is informational and does not replace the official Arizona instructions. Always confirm the current form and procedure with the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD) before you file.
The Form 48-9901 is one car's paperwork. A 20-second read on your lot, and the tax-and-fee math for the whole deal — built for dealers, no signup. Free calculators dealers actually use — no signup, no email.
DealerVLO fills the official Arizona Form 96-0236 title application, the Bill of Sale, and the FTC Buyers Guide straight from your deal — VIN-decoded vehicle, buyer, co-buyer, and sale price already in place. $29/month, free to try — cancel any time.
What the Form 48-9901 is and why it matters
The 48-9901 is ADOT MVD's Lien Release form. If you run buy-here-pay-here, your dealership is the lienholder on every note you carry. When the customer pays off, you certify the lien is paid in full and release your claim to the vehicle, and the customer uses that release to get a title without your lien on it.
A lot of Arizona titles are electronic, and that changes what happens at payoff. ADOT's FAQ says that when a lienholder credits the final payment, the title stays electronic. This guide walks the paper form box by box from the dealer's seat, then covers what MVD wants any release to show, the electronic side, and what A.R.S. 28-2134 says about timing.
The current revision is 48-9901 R07/25 from ADOT's Motor Vehicle Division. It's a short, one-page form: lienholder name, year, title number, borrower name, lien amount, VIN, make, a one-sentence certification, and a representative name, signature, and date. There's no notary block. The state's PDF has typeable fields, but it's encrypted, and DealerVLO's form uploader can't open it. Type it in a PDF reader or fill it by hand.
Documents to have before you start
The release goes to the owner, who uses it to get a lien-free title. Have these in hand before you sign.
- The payment history showing the note paid in full — You're certifying the lien has been paid in full. Wait until the final payment has cleared.
- The certificate of title number — The form asks for it. Copy it from the title or your title record.
- The vehicle's VIN, year, and make, and the borrower's name — Match them to the title. The borrower is your buyer (and co-buyer) as named on the contract and title.
- The lien amount — The form has a Lien Amount box and doesn't define it further. Use the amount your lien secured as recorded, and check it against the title record if it shows one.
Form 48-9901, section by section
Lienholder, title number, and vehicle
The top block identifies who's releasing and what. Lienholder Name is printed as first, middle, last, suffix, which fits an individual lender. For a dealership, put the business name the way it's recorded as lienholder; the form has a separate line lower down for the representative when the lienholder is an organization. Then the year, the certificate of title number, the VIN, and the make. Copy all of it from the title so MVD can match the release to the record.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Lienholder Name (first, middle, last, suffix) Your dealership's name as recorded on the title. | You (dealer) |
Year | You (dealer) |
Certificate of Title Number | You (dealer) |
Vehicle Identification Number All 17 characters. | You (dealer) |
Make | You (dealer) |
Borrower name and lien amount
Borrower Name is the customer who owed the debt. If you had a co-buyer on the contract, list both the way they appear on the title. Lien Amount is a single box; the form gives no instructions for it, so use the amount your lien secured and keep it consistent with your contract.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Borrower Name Buyer and co-buyer as on the title. | You (dealer) |
Lien Amount | You (dealer) |
The certification and signature
The form's certification says the lien has been paid in full, that the lienholder has no further interest in the vehicle, and that it releases all claims to it. Below it: Representative Name (if the lienholder is an organization), Lienholder Signature, and Date. For a dealership, print the name of the person signing on the Representative line, then sign and date. There's no notary block on the 48-9901.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Representative Name The person signing for the dealership. | You (dealer) |
Lienholder Signature Full signature. | You (dealer) |
Date | You (dealer) |
What MVD wants any release to show
ADOT's FAQ on removing a lien says the owner completes a title application, submits it with the most current title, pays a $4 title fee, and gets a lien release from the lienholder showing four things: a complete description of the vehicle (year, make, and VIN), the date the lien was paid in full, a notation or stamp that the lien is paid, and the full signature of the lienholder or its agent. The 48-9901 covers the vehicle, the paid-in-full statement, and the signature. It has no box labeled paid-in-full date, so make sure the Date line reflects the payoff or note the payoff date on the form.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Year, make, VIN | You (dealer) |
Date the lien was paid in full | You (dealer) |
Notation that the lien is paid The form's certification says paid in full. | You (dealer) |
Full signature of lienholder or agent | You (dealer) |
Electronic titles
ADOT's FAQ says that when a lienholder has credited the final payment, the title will remain electronic. If the owner needs paper, for example to move out of state, they can request a Title Replacement through AZ MVD Now. For a private sale of a financed car, the FAQ has the seller work with the lender to release the lien electronically and then use the Title Transfer Bill of Sale (38-1306). If your lien sits on an electronic Arizona title, ask MVD how your dealership releases it on the record; a paper 48-9901 alone may not be what clears it.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Electronic lien release On the MVD record. | You (dealer) |
Paper title, if needed Title Replacement on AZ MVD Now. | Buyer |
Timing: A.R.S. 28-2134 and the 15 business days
A.R.S. 28-2134(A) says that when a lienholder receives payment in full, it shall release the lien and notify the owner. Subsection C covers a lienholder holding the paper title: if it doesn't surrender the title on the owner's request within 15 business days after payment in full, MVD may impose a civil penalty after a hearing, starting at $50 and adding $50 a day past 18 business days, up to $500 per title. ADOT's FAQ tells owners they can request an MVD Administrative Hearing if the lien isn't released within 15 business days. Treat 15 business days as the outside limit.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Release and notice to the owner At payoff; no later than 15 business days. | You (dealer) |
Title application + current title + $4 fee At MVD or an authorized third party. | Buyer |
Common Form 48-9901 mistakes that cause rejections
The certification says the lien has been paid in full. Wait until the last payment is good funds.
ADOT's FAQ says a lien release must show the date the lien was paid in full. Make sure the date on the form is the payoff date or note it.
Lienholder Name is your dealership. The signer goes on the Representative Name line for an organization.
Copy both from the title. MVD matches the release to the vehicle record.
ADOT says the title stays electronic after the lienholder credits the final payment. Confirm with MVD how the lien comes off the electronic record.
Common questions
What is the Arizona lien release form?+
It's ADOT MVD form 48-9901, Lien Release. The current revision is R07/25. The lienholder enters its name, the title number, borrower, lien amount, VIN, year, and make, then signs a certification that the lien is paid in full and all claims to the vehicle are released.
Does the Arizona 48-9901 need to be notarized?+
The form has no notary block. ADOT's FAQ asks for the full signature of the lienholder or the lienholder's agent on a release, not a notarization.
How long does a lienholder have to release a lien in Arizona?+
A.R.S. 28-2134 says the lienholder shall release the lien when it receives payment in full. ADOT's FAQ says an owner can request an MVD Administrative Hearing if the lien isn't released within 15 business days, and the statute allows a civil penalty of up to $500 per title when a lienholder holding the title doesn't surrender it in time.
Can a BHPH dealer release an Arizona lien with a letter instead?+
ADOT's FAQ describes a lien release by what it shows, not by form number: the vehicle's year, make, and VIN, the date the lien was paid in full, a notation that it's paid, and the lienholder's full signature. DealerVLO's BHPH servicing prints a release letter on your letterhead with the year, make, model, VIN, the paid-in-full date from the payment ledger, and a release statement, ready to sign. If you'd rather hand over the state form, the 48-9901 is filled by hand.
What does the customer do with the lien release?+
ADOT's FAQ says to complete a title application, submit it with the most current title and the lien release, and pay a $4 title fee at MVD or an authorized third-party office. If the title is electronic and stays that way, a paper title can be requested through AZ MVD Now.
Where do I download the 48-9901?+
ADOT publishes it at apps.azdot.gov/files/mvd/mvd-forms-lib/48-9901.pdf. The download link is at the top of this page. Some automated tools get blocked; it opens normally in a browser.
Is there software that fills out the Form 48-9901 automatically?+
Not this one. The Arizona Form 48-9901 is an encrypted state PDF that DealerVLO's form uploader can't open, so it's completed by hand and signed in ink. Dealer management software like DealerVLO handles the paperwork around it from the deal you already entered: the official Arizona Form 96-0236 title application, the Bill of Sale, the FTC Buyers Guide, and the odometer disclosure, so the Form 48-9901 is the only page left to write. It's $29/month flat with a 14-day free trial.
- Vehicle lien release forms by state
- Affidavit of repossession
- How to fill out the Arizona Form 96-0236
- How to get a used car dealer license in Arizona
- Arizona dealer plates
- E-signatures and e-titling for Arizona dealers
- Arizona repossession affidavit (48-0902)
- Title application forms in every state
- How much is a dealer's license? Cost in every state
Stop re-typing the rest of the deal.
The Form 48-9901 is a hand-filled form. Everything around it isn't: DealerVLO fills the official Arizona Form 96-0236 title application, the Bill of Sale, and the FTC Buyers Guide from your deal jacket. $29/month. 14-day free trial, cancel any time.
Curious how it works? See how DealerVLO auto-fills every dealer document — bill of sale, FTC Buyers Guide, odometer disclosure, and state title & registration forms for all 50 states, from one deal.
Bond amounts, fees, and form rules change. Get a short email when your state does. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.